Disclaimer: The Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education (EACPE) encourages critical and independent thinking and believes in a free expression of one’s opinion. However, the views expressed in contributed articles are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the EACPE.
A while ago, I was listening to a song by Maroon 5, an American pop rock band. Though the sole purpose behind putting on my earphones was to relax my mind that had become exhausted of doing Math homework, the song also reminded me of the problems of today’s world.
There is hardly a thing on our planet that has not got a problematic side. The menu of problems is tremendous. For instance, inequality, religious discrimination, inflation, marital issues, and insecurity are some of the items on the list. Their price?? Ah!! don’t worry about that; they are pretty cheap and some of them can easily be found by the door next to your house, and remaining would better be in your city at most.
At the same time, I don’t (or maybe I can’t) blame this on anyone. It’s as if we were meant to face these problems. If there’s someone to blame, then it’s this guy usually referred as “Fate”. He is the one who knows, or if better said, controls everything that has ever happened, and things that are currently happening and things that will happen in time to come. That’s all then… No worries!
Every action and reaction, significant or insignificant as they may seem, play part in making things happen.
But wait! It seems that some of the wiser ones among you aren’t agreeing with this. Thank God, I was feeling as if I’m the only one, who doesn’t feel contended with this intro of “Fate”. No, it’s not the concept of fate that I deny of, but the generally acclaimed definition, that is widely accepted. My understanding is that fate has got a very little to contribute when it comes to controlling things. Most plausibly the ones who will make these things happen are things themselves. Every action and reaction, significant or insignificant as they may seem, play part in making things happen. And yeah, timing is the best part of it. It is this timing that sometimes turns out to be so perfect, that it leads people into falsely believing in controlling the nature of fate. And then it is this misunderstanding, that’s the root cause for a number of problems that we face on the individual, as well as group levels today. Many superstitions can also emerge from it.
It’s our responsibility as being literate at least to never assume that anything ever happens on its own, or by so-called fate. God has given fate a very little authority to control things. God rather gives this authority entirely to His creations. Like a loving parent, who does everything for the good of his or her child, God wants His creation to be self-responsible for everything they do, and everything that happens as a consequence of their actions. So, let’s plant this message deep in our heart, and make our neurons never forget it. Let’s inspire one another to be responsible humans, make correct choices, and take proper actions to relieve humanity and its home planet, of all those problems that has made their life difficult.
Contributed by Zuhaib Shah
The writer is currently doing F.Sc from Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Gilgit. He believes in peace and coexistence, and is a person with a concerned attitude towards the betterment of humanity.
